Loch Lomond

I watched Alex Salmond today discussing and posturing on the vote for Independence in Scotland. It crossed my mind that maybe he isn't really ready for it.
As an SNP MP, and now leader he would be expected to call for an independence vote should the SNP ever get the opportunity. But leading up to that time did he ever really think that the SNP party would be in that position?
It strikes me that it was well and good to shout about Scottish Independence while he couldn't (and thought he never really could) do anything about it, but now it is reality...he's a wee bit scared.

roaringmouse

So you're suggesting the SNP is a bit like the LibDems - all talk, no trousers?

manny1980

Yes

If they were truly serious for referendum they will do it now but they are scared to lose it (only around 30% people in Scotland want an outright independence) hence want to postpone it till 2014.

DigitalGhost

Never going to happen.

Loch Lomond

Independence or a Referendum?

DigitalGhost

Independence.

It would be funny if it did but I really don't see it happening.

mika24me

I don't know, I think this referendum is going to be a pretty close thing actually. Alex Salmond is a persuasive man and with a few years up his sleeve I think he could talk people around. Especially with David Cameron running scared and making every excuse he can think of to interfere with the referendum timing and questions. He's making the SNP's point about the tories interfering with Scottish business despite having no representation there.

dollface

scotty1974

they said the same thing about a majority SNP government

never say never......

formula

His face was a picture when it was pointed out to him that the two biggest failing UK banks were two Scottish registered banks and that Scotland alone would then have to foot their bill and keep bailing them out. Up to that point, I don't think he had even considered Scottish banks bail outs or Scotland's share of the national debt that they will have to take.

As a Eurozone country, Scotland would also have to find the money to support it's currency, the Euro, through it's time of great need.

DeadVim

Just watched Andy Murray snatch defeat from the jaws of victory again so I really don't see what the barbarians have to offer any more, cut 'em loose.

Lothianlad

I'm a Scot and I'm very proud to be a Scot, but I am also very proud to be British and to live in a constituent country of the United KIngdom.

In spite of my Scottish heritage and in spite of living in Scotland, especially in its capital city, I have only very limited adherence to the policies of the Scottish National Party...too many SNP members desire an independent Scotland only so far as all the perceived benefits it would bring to Scotland....only the good points attached to it.

As for Alex Salmond - the bloke is an absolute creep...as slimy and as sneaky and as slippery as a wet eel with very little in the way of ethics and morality in the way he is prepared to go about things in the Independence issue. He is a total opportunist waiting for the main chance in order to get any advantage possible in a coming referendum in Scotland.

David Cameron, the UK Prime Minister, is more than happy to allow the Scottish people to vote on the issue of Independence, and he favours one simple question only on the ballot papers: "Independence for Scotland: YES.....or NO". One plain simple question.

Cameron also favours a referendum ASAP - sometime later this year 2012.

Slithery Salmond knows full well that he would lose if that were to be the case. He wants to hold out until autumn 2014 so that he can play on the heartstrings of patriotic Scots as a poll then would co-incide with the 1314 Battle of Bannockburn in which the Scots beating the $hit out of the Sassenachs.

He also wants to go against official UK Electoral law and allow all Scots of 16 and 17 to vote in the referendum as he wishes to take advantage of their adolescent fervour for Scottish independence while knowing very little if anything about all the issues involved, or appreciating what any of them really mean anyway.

Salmond is a very devious, canny individual and quite frankly not very good for Scotland in the long run. His antipathy towards England over rides everything in his book.

A complete Scottish breakaway from the UK just will not happen - not now, and not at any time in the future. The great majority of Scots simply do no want it.....a separate Parliament for Scotland for dealijg with all Scottish matters, as at present - yes. Devo Max? Well, maybe but the English won't like that at all and, quite frankly, who can blame them? For too long now Scottish MPs at Westminster have been able to vote on matters affecting England (and Wales) but no English (or Welsh) MPs have been allowed to vote on matters affecting only Scotland. Is that fair? Hardly.

The English would well and truly protest against allowing a form of Devo Max for Scotland, and again - who could blame them? I'd be bloody mad about it if I was an Englishman.

king kong

As an englishman i must congratulate you on an excellent post , my opinion on scotland for what its worth is ''why not '' , they should have independance .
I think the union as it was say pre -EEC had its uses when basically Great Britain had its own trading partners ie New zealand ,Australia etc etc but now we are so intrinsically linked to europe financially i think it matters little that England /wales and scotland are united .
Infact i would advocate that Dorset should become independant from england ,after all it would make absolutely no difference at all in the scheme of things ,we are all still answerable to brussels which i find laughable ,the headquarters of europe in a country that must hold the record for not having a government .
Nonetheless i will be following the scottish independance with great interest and if and when it happens ,it will be a sad day indeed ...........

brits1

Good post...I have Scottish and Welsh Grandparents (no all passed away) who lived and worked in England so I always classed myself as British then English and proud to do so. My Grandparents always use to say that they choose to work in England it had more to offer workwise etc and they found it strange that some expats would not stop calling the English etc. If the Scottish people want to vote they should and sooner the better so this matter can be "sorted" once and for all, if independance is the way Scottish people vote then their must be conditions...ie harder to work in England (visa versa) Stripping of all Royal names....the forces based in Scotland should all be moved to England and Wales and separate armies formed. And certainly no Scottish M.P's allowed into the English parliament. It would be a huge shame if all of this was ever to happend, to be truly independant it really is all or nothing otherwise whats the point. It would be a huge shame as Britain got the Great with Northern Ireland,Wales,Scotland and all others joined in the Union.

ergyngfeld

I really hope they do vote yes actually (and not for the usual spiteful tabloid reasons!).
If they do manage to pull it off, and keep the whole North Sea oil thing going, Scotland could become like Norway. And Norway's one of the best countries in the world, in my books.